Baykeeper was out on boat patrol in central San Francisco Bay when we encountered some suspicious foam being discharged from a large tanker ship. Shown here, at right, is Baykeeper Field Investigator Sienna Courter taking water samples. We sent them to a lab for chemical testing. Bayk
eeper will continue to monitor discharges and other potential pollution from large vessels in the Bay.
A major fire broke out on Saturday, June 2nd at Schnitzer Steel, an auto and metal recycling facility on the shoreline of the Bay in the Oakland-Alameda Estuary. A huge plume of black smoke was visible from miles away. Baykeeper was immediately concerned that toxic ash or smoke particles were falling into the Bay, or that runoff from firefighting could be washing pollution into the Bay. Baykeeper Field Investigator Sienna Courter and volunteer skipper Jeff Wasserman both patrolled the Alameda shoreline to investigate.
Fortunately, Sienna and Jeff observed no visible Bay pollution from the fire. But Baykeeper has been monitoring pollution issues at Schnitzer Steel for many years, and we will continue to investigate to ensure the best possible protections for the Bay.
